Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.013 |
| Title (Primary) | Elucidating the impact of micro-scale heterogeneous bacterial distribution on biodegradation |
| Author | Schmidt, S.I.; Kreft, J.-U.; Mackay, R.; Picioreanu, C.; Thullner, M. |
| Source Titel | Advances in Water Resources |
| Year | 2018 |
| Department | UMB |
| Volume | 116 |
| Page From | 67 |
| Page To | 76 |
| Language | englisch |
| Supplements | https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0309170817307303-mmc1.pdf |
| Keywords | Pore-scale microbial degradation; Bioavailability; Effective rate laws; Upscaling |
| UFZ wide themes | RU3; |
| Abstract | Groundwater microorganisms hardly ever cover the solid matrix uniformly–instead they form micro-scale colonies. To which extent such colony formation limits the bioavailability and biodegradation of a substrate is poorly understood. We used a high-resolution numerical model of a single pore channel inhabited by bacterial colonies to simulate the transport and biodegradation of organic substrates. These high-resolution 2D simulation results were compared to 1D simulations that were based on effective rate laws for bioavailability-limited biodegradation. We (i) quantified the observed bioavailability limitations and (ii) evaluated the applicability of previously established effective rate concepts if microorganisms are heterogeneously distributed. Effective bioavailability reductions of up to more than one order of magnitude were observed, showing that the micro-scale aggregation of bacterial cells into colonies can severely restrict the bioavailability of a substrate and reduce in situ degradation rates. Effective rate laws proved applicable for upscaling when using the introduced effective colony sizes. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=20253 |
| Schmidt, S.I., Kreft, J.-U., Mackay, R., Picioreanu, C., Thullner, M. (2018): Elucidating the impact of micro-scale heterogeneous bacterial distribution on biodegradation Adv. Water Resour. 116 , 67 - 76 10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.013 |
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